Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line in Zambia
Zambia: Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line was 71.7% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line in Zambia, 1991–2022
Source: World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income econ. Measured in % of population.
Analysis
In 2022, poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line in Zambia stood at 71.7%.
That represents a change of up 0.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line in Zambia peaked at 72.0% in 2006 and was at its lowest, 56.1%, in 1996.
Zambia ranks 4th of 123 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 10 years of available data.
Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line in Zambia, year by year
| Year | % of population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 63.0% | — |
| 1993 | 67.1% | +6.5% |
| 1996 | 56.1% | -16.4% |
| 1998 | 56.6% | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 68.0% | +20.1% |
| 2004 | 68.9% | +1.3% |
| 2006 | 72.0% | +4.5% |
| 2010 | 71.4% | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 67.9% | -4.9% |
| 2022 | 71.7% | +5.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 60.7% | 56.1% | 67.1% | 4 |
| 2000s | 69.6% | 68.0% | 72.0% | 3 |
| 2010s | 69.7% | 67.9% | 71.4% | 2 |
| 2020s | 71.7% | 71.7% | 71.7% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Zambia
More poverty & inequality data for Zambia
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 1 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 4.1 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 2,344 kg per hectare (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate -4.62 % change on previous year (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, gaps filled 16.23 (2023)
- Tax revenue as share of GDP vs. income inequality 16.2% (2023)
- Tax revenues vs income inequality, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line in Zambia?
- Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line in Zambia was 71.7% in 2022, according to World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income econ.
- What is the highest poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line recorded in Zambia?
- The highest recorded value was 72.0% in 2006.
- What is the lowest poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line recorded in Zambia?
- The lowest recorded value was 56.1% in 1996.
- How does Zambia rank for poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line?
- Zambia ranks 4th out of 123 countries with data for 2022.
- Is poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line rising or falling in Zambia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Zambia data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank, Poverty and Inequality Platform. Data are based on primary household survey data obtained from government statistical agencies and World Bank country departments. Data for high-income econ, published as part of Poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line (% of population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 10 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
The poverty headcount ratio at societal poverty line is the percentage of a population living in poverty according to the World Bank's Societal Poverty Line. The Societal Poverty Line is expressed in purchasing power adjusted 2021 U.S. dollars and defined as max($3.00, $1.30 + 0.5*Median). This means that when the national median is sufficiently low, the Societal Poverty line is equivalent to the extreme poverty line, $3.00. For countries with a sufficiently high national median, the Societal Poverty Line grows as countries’ median income grows.